Spate · Granite · South West / Kerry

Caragh

Caragh terrain map
Terrain map

A picturesque spate river in Kerry that rises in the McGillycuddy Reeks and enters Dingle Bay via Caragh Lake (Lough Caragh).

Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Cascade · 10-14
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
Low and clear — careful approach country. Hard going on bright water. Favour cloud and shadow.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Laune
  • Water temp18.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today’s fly
Cascade
Cascade10-14
From the river-specific salmon pack.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via Laune
Water temp18.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindW 9 km/h
Pressure1028 hPa
Rain · recent5.4 mm
Rain · ahead3.1 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Laune. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for atlantic salmon
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for atlantic salmon
When
Spring run from late March; grilse from June; main run summer. The Caragh is a Kerry spate river above Lough Caragh — fish the river or the lough drifts as conditions favour.
Where
Caragh river beats and Lough Caragh drift water. Heads, tails, and named lies on the river; drift lines on the lough.
Method
Small doubles 10 to 12 across-and-down on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water. Catch-and-release encouraged across most Irish salmon water.
Kit
10 ft #7 single-hander on the smaller spate rivers; 11 ft switch where the river opens out. Floating line plus light sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
⚠️ Water at 18.1°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots. Poor conditions based on river hydrology.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Sea trout runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • IFI rod licence (RoI)
  • Beats managed by local association; day tickets typically €20–€40
  • Excellent accessibility from Killorglin
  • Connection to Caragh Lake (wild brown trout, sea-trout) provides multi-venue option.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Water here around 18°C — probably warm enough to stress atlantic salmon. These are likely cooler.
Lough Namona
19 km
~15°C
Sea trout · Salmon
Cloonlaghlin Lough
18 km
~15°C
Sea trout · Salmon
About this water

A picturesque spate river in Kerry that rises in the McGillycuddy Reeks and enters Dingle Bay via Caragh Lake (Lough Caragh). The Caragh is a classic granite mountain river: responsive to rainfall (5–8 hours to peak), clear and technical, with excellent populations of wild brown trout and Atlantic salmon. Sea trout enter from late March/April onwards (earlier than most west-coast spate rivers), with grilse joining the run from June. The river feeds Caragh Lake, which is itself a destination for wild brown trout and sea-trout boat fishing. The Upper Caragh Fishery (~15 km from Bealalaw to Caragh Lake) has well-developed access — stiles, footbridges, anglers' huts on many beats. For 2026 this remains an open fishery — salmon may be retained in season under the Wild Salmon & Sea Trout Tagging Scheme and bag limits, with catch-and-release at other times.

  • Granite
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Good
The full read · show the working · for atlantic salmon · confidence 85%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Launeproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon17 January → 30 September
  • Sea trout1 February → 12 October
Related guides
Atlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsIrish Salmon Rivers Guidefive great salmon fisheriesConnemaraIrish fishing
Booking & contacts